Suri, July 30: Three engineering students allegedly ragged a year ago stabbed a senior with scissors, whipped him with a belt and rubbed salt and chilli powder on the wounds through Friday night at a rented house in Birbhum.

Police sources said that when the injured student asked for water, his tormentors gave him a drink mixed with chilli powder and threatened to drop him from the roof of the single-storied house. The students of the private engineering college in Suri did not stay in the hostel but in a rented accommodation.

The third-year injured student, Arijeet Ghosh, has been admitted to a hospital.

A preliminary probe has revealed that the three students, who have been arrested, had been allegedly ragged and tortured by Arijeet and some of his friends last year.

"I returned from home on Friday evening. The three junior students, who stay in the room adjacent to mine, barged into my room and started beating me up. They were drunk and started stabbing me in the back with scissors. They forced to have some sleeping pills. When I started feeling drowsy, they whipped me with a belt and rubbed salt and chilli powder on the wounds. I could not shout, I was gagged," Arijeet said from his hospital bed.

Arijeet is believed to have told the police that he was confined in his room till yesterday evening. When his tormentors, who were drunk, fell asleep and Arijeet came to, he called up one of his classmates.

The police have charged the three accused students with attempt to murder. If proved guilty, they could be jailed for 10 years.

Police sources said preliminary investigation pointed to an act of revenge.

"Arijeet and some of his classmates had tortured the three junior students when they started staying in the building a year ago. So, on Friday, when they found Arijeet alone, they took their revenge," a police officer said.

Arijeet denied having any role in ragging the three a year ago. "Some of my classmates had ragged them in my presence, but I did nothing."